Male Porn Stars Offer Forbes Advice

Posted Apr 23rd, 2012 03:09 PM

NEW YORK—Forbes, the venerable business news and financial information media outlet, dipped its toes into the world of adult entertainment today with a piece on its website in which seven male porn stars opine on their profession.

"The Hardest Thing About Being a Male Porn Star," by Susannah Breslin features Brandon Iron, Jeremy Steele, Dave Cummings, Seymore Butts, Richard Mann, Zak Smith (Sabbath) and James Deen waxing prophetic on dating advice, pitfalls of the business and the best things about their jobs.

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Iron said that likeability is a key factor of getting hired again and again.

“The hardest thing about being a male porn star is convincing your female co-workers that you are an interesting, well-rounded, fun guy who they might consider dating in a parallel universe after a few drinks,” Iron told Forbes.

Having sex on camera also affects one's personal life when it comes to dating outside the industry.

“[The hardest thing is] having a relationship with a significant other,” Steele said. “The first time I told a girl I was in porn she disconnected her phone number the same night, and I never saw or heard from her again.”

But it was Butts who offered some particularly prescient insight into the struggles of the male porn star—at least while on set.

"The most difficult part about being a male porn star is the hard-on," he said. "They have to get it up and off on cue essentially and all the while in between maintain [it] for two to three hours. This must be done under the most difficult of circumstances, including not being attracted to their female co-star, having sex in the most uncomfortable settings, i.e. on hard surfaces, cold/hot weather, etc., and/or having to stop frequently for direction or shot setups. They have to be in great shape in order to perform. It all adds up to being the most difficult job in porn, in my opinion."

Young gun Deen clearly has the most carefree attitude of those interviewed.